Budget, business and working families top new councilwoman’s concerns

SUISUN CITY — Lori Wilson will make Suisun City history when she is sworn in as the newest member of the City Council on Dec. 4.

Wilson is the first black person to serve on that governing body.

“It’s nice to be able to make history,” she said. “And to show the diversity we have.”

She will join Councilwoman Jane Day, Councilmen Mike Segala and Mike Hudson and Mayor Pete Sanchez on the dais.

Wilson’s first order of business as a councilwoman?

“Get in there and look at the details. There’s only so much you can see from the outside,” Wilson said.

The city budget is one her first priorities. While Fairfield, Vacaville and Rio Vista passed tax measures Tuesday night, Wilson said she wouldn’t consider any new taxes.

“It’s good that we have funds to last another year,” she said.

However, she feels the budget needs scrutinizing.

“The numbers on the outside don’t add up to me,” she said. Wilson is a financial analyst.

The married mother of two teens, Wilson campaigned on making Suisun City a better place for working families.

“I would like to bring in businesses that meet their needs so they don’t have to travel to Fairfield or Vacaville to shop. I’ve lived here almost 10 years, and when school starts we have to leave (town) to get school supplies,” she said.

A second grocery store is also on her wish list. While the city should have a new Walmart Supercenter in the next few years where groceries will be sold, Wilson said the community needs a free-standing grocery store.

Partnering with nonprofits that have programs for children and teens are something else she hopes to bring to fruition.

Wilson also wants to make it easier to get out of the city. The intersections at Sunset and Railroad avenues and Highway 12 and Sunset Avenue can get congested.

“We have to find ways around it or mitigate it some way,” she said.

Wilson has been very active in the city volunteering on different boards. She stepped aside from some to focus on her campaign.

“I expect the council to take up most of my time,” she said.

It’s been a week of ups and downs for Wilson. On Sunday, her son Tyler left for the U.S. Marine Corps. He had helped with her campaign over the summer. She has not been able to communicate with him. As far as she knows, he still is not aware his mother won a seat on the City Council.

“Now, both of us are heading on a new journey,” she said.

Wilson is married to Chavares Wilson. Their teen daughter, Kira, still resides at home.

Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/amaginnisdr.

This is the corrected version of an earlier story.

Amy Maginnis-Honey

Amy Maginnis-Honey joined the staff of the Daily Republic in 1980. She’ll tell you she was only 3 at the time.
Over the past three decades she’s done a variety of jobs in the newsroom.
Today, she covers arts and entertainment and writes for the Living and news pages.